A/N. Ohhh. I know I suck at endings. I'm all, like.... emotional and stuff.

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Chapter Ten

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The Composer's Choice

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The first and last thing Rhyme was aware of was the sound of breaking. A terrible, keening noise, like the wail of a thousand lost souls ravaged her failing senses. Then a gentle touch on her shoulder and a feeling like an apology along with a shimmering silvery energy, then she was floating through the sky for what could have been an eternity or just a moment, looking the empty eyes of innumerable faces, the wails turning to music that tasted sweet to her tongue. One particular note, like the ending of a favorite song, echoed through Rhyme's mind.

From a distance, she heard Masaki's hateful scream, then she was slowly being dragged back to reality and stood shakily on shimmering white legs.

Wait... white legs?

The red winged angel was screaming curses at the silver haired young man who lay on the ground like a broken doll, red liquid oozing from his head and his gun still in hand. A few feet away was Minamimoto, watching the proceedings with dazed disinterest as his ragged breathing slowed.

No.

Rhyme stumbled forward numbly, intent on picking up Joshua and wiping this sticky red stuff off his face. She knew how fastidious he was, how often he was caught up by small things. She couldn't understand he wasn't wiping it off himself.

Strong arms hauled her backwards, and she was aware of another scream joining in. The walls were crumbling, seeming to dance to her tired dazed eyes. What's happening?

A small chunk of the ceiling struck her on the head, and the pain cleared her mind. A cacophony of voices reached her ears... and one of them was hers.

"Mr. H, let me go! It's Joshua! I have to help Joshua! "

"Rhyme, it's over! " The Angel panted. "He's gone. "

"NO! " Her scream mingled with the voice of another females, creating a sickening harmonious note.

Masaki was blind with rage. "He killed himself! The little bastard killed himself! He ruined everything! "

A red beam flashed and slashed through both Rhyme and Hanekoma. Without thinking, Rhyme shot a beam of blue light back at the red-winged Angel, and the latter reeled in pain.

The girl fell back in shock, both from Masaki's words and the bolt of energy she had just unleashed. "No.... "

She stared at her shining white hands. No... not her hands. Composer hands.

Rhyme stumbled backwards, tripping over something and paling in shock as she recognized her own battered and bleeding body. No..... no, no, no, no, no!

The red winged female screamed in pain, writhing from the chuck of wing Rhyme had blown off. "Why you? Why did he have to pick you?! Damn you, Yoshiya! "

Masaki got up, eyes glowing with hate and glazed with pain, and was preparing another blast when something changed in Rhyme, a feeling of urgency, like a mother sensing her children were in danger. Blue eyes flashed light, then she readied a blast of her new powers.

"I'm sorry, Masaki. "

Blue light flashed, sparkled, and a sweet trilling, flutelike note rang out in the UG. Tears splashed down Rhyme's cheeks as she felt the Angel die, even as a sigh of relief escaped her mouth.

All that was left was.... Minamimoto.

The dying and forgotten Tabooed man watched coldly as the Angel of Death's life fizzled out and turned to static. He turned to Joshua's body, legs buckling from his own injures, and sighed as he fell beside the young man he had tried for years to kill.

"It's.... time... See you in.... oblivion... "

Another note, this one drawn out and like a twang of a cello. Then Minamimoto was gone, too.

The walls of the Trail of the Sinner shook again, more chunks of UG stone falling down and obscuring the fallen two. Her serenity shattering, Rhyme dashed forward again, slicing several fingers to the bone as she tried to dig through the rubble, tears running down her face.

"Mr. H, help me! Help me! "

"I can't, Rhyme! We have to get out here now! The whole place is coming down! "

"I'm not leaving him! No! " She struggled desperately in Hanekoma's arms as he dragged her backwards, back towards the Underpass and the safety of the untouched RG.

"Shibuya needs you, Rhyme. Joshua chose you. "

The girl went limp in the Angel's arms, sobbing helplessly like a child. "No.... no, no, no... I have to save him! "

Hanekoma's grip on her softened, and he turned her around and wrapped her in a hug. "I know you want to save him, Rhyme, but right now you have to save yourself. "

An ominous crack shattered the moment peace of the moment, and the Angel let go of Rhyme. "Come on. Let's go! "

Numbly, like a child once more, she followed him out of the collapsing Shibuya River and didn't stop running until both were outside and could see the stars. Then Hanekoma picked her up and took her into the sky.

Stars sparkled above her, below her, all around her, soothing her shattered and ravaged mind and stopping the torrent of tears. She wrapped her arms around Hanekoma, unaware of how Joshua had done the some thing so many years ago, and stifled her sobs in his chest.

After a few minutes and Rhyme's sobs had turned to shivers and sniffs, he landed lightly on 104. "Take a good look, Rhyme. "

The stars above them seemed dim and dusty compared to the lights and noise below. Music, like she'd never heard before, reached her ears. Anger, joy, love, hate, sorrow, ambition.... all these songs melded together in one sweetly sad harmony. A part of her called to the music, and the music answered her with a certainty and familiarity that seemed old as eternity and yet fresh as the dawn.

"It's your Shibuya now. "

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